Indianapolis—
They had the shovels ready to go but first they needed, the brooms. It was a soggy way to usher in a new era, but leaders in medicine and the city weren't about to be bogged down by the weather."You'll recall last summer, operations had to stop, surgery had to stop because of a burst pipe," said Dr. Virginia Caine, Marion County Health Department Director.
It had been lobbied for by people like the head of the Marion County Health Dept.
"Wishard is not only a safety net hospital, it's a hospital of choice," said Caine.
The family of IMPD Officer Jason Fishburn, who'd been treated here after a life-threatening gunshot wound, were also in attendance. The Fishburns took an active role in lobbying for the new hospital.
"We're grateful to the citizens of Marion County for seeing that this is necessary for all," said Dennis Fishburn, Jason's father.
After a landslide referendum last fall, Wishard Hospital broke ground on a brand new million-square foot hospital on the old grounds of the Carter LaRue Hospital. The state of the art, potentially green-certified facility will be on 37 acres on the western end of the IUPUI campus. During construction, 4,000 jobs will come on line.
"A lot of high paying jobs. Once the J.W. Marriott winds down, the construction industry will be looking for more jobs and we have these going on right now," said Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard (R).
When the new Wishard Hospital is operational in 2013, plans call for the old Wishard, not to be torn down, but to be used for other medical purposes.
"The old Wishard area, we're hoping will remain a life sciences building."
Where research or small manufacturing could complement the work of the new Wishard Hospital, three years from now.
